Denis Gaultier (''Gautier'', ''Gaulthier''; also known as Gaultier le jeune and Gaultier de Paris) (1597 or 1602/3 – 1672) was a French

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" commonly r ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He was a cousin of Ennemond Gaultier.

Life

Gaultier was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

; two conflicting sources point to either 1597 or 1603 as the year of birth. The former can be deduced from an account by Thorian, who claimed that Gaultier died in 1672 at the age of seventy-five. However, an archival document from the

Hôtel-Dieu de Paris In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu () was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris being the oldest an ...

hospital states that Gaultier was twenty-three at the time of his convalescence in the hospital, which was from 24 October 1626 to 12 December 1626. Very little is known about Gaultier's career. He may have studied under Charles Racquet, since he commemorated the lutenist's death with a

tombeau A tombeau (plural tombeaux) is a musical composition (earlier, in the early 16th century, a poem) commemorating the death of a notable individual. The term derives from the French word for "tomb" or "tombstone". The vast majority of tombeaux date f ...

. Until at least 1631 Denis's career was closely linked to that of his older cousin, Ennemond; so much that contemporary writers referred to either composer by surname only, making no attempt to distinguish between them. Both lutenists had connections with Blancrocher and Henri de L'Enclos, and both secured a high reputation comparable to that of François Dufaut, Jacques Gallot, or Charles Mouton. In 1635 Denis married Françoise Daucourt. Their son Philippe Emmanuel would later become advisor to the king, but there is no evidence that Gaultier himself ever held a court position, even though his cousin did. Denis most probably gained fame and income through

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

playing.

Works

Denis and Ennemond are confused in many contemporary manuscripts and prints, leading to numerous attribution problems. A number of pieces are signed simply with the surname, some are attributed to Denis in one collection and to Ennemond in another, and still others are now known to have been be misattributed. Gaultier's output, as is to be expected from a 17th-century French lutenist, consists mainly of dance suites for the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

. In general, Gaultier was a masterful melodist, effortlessly writing graceful melodic lines with clear phrase structures, but his music is less inventive harmonically than that of some other French lutenists of the era, such as René Mesangeau or Pierre Dubut. Three published collections of Gaultier's music have come down to us, all from his late years. ''La Rhétorique des dieux'' (1652) contains twelve parts, each named after one of the Greek modes, but the actual harmonic procedures of the pieces are not connected to the modes. Many of the pieces reference

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. The collection, compiled under the patronage of Anne de Chambré, also contains engravings after Le Sueur,

Abraham Bosse Abraham Bosse ( – 14 February 1676) was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolor painting, watercolour.Robert de Nanteuil. Two other collections, ''Pièces de luth sur trois différens modes nouveaux'' (c.1669) and ''Livre de tablature ..de Mr. Gaultier Sr. de Nève et de Mr. Gaultier son cousin'' (c.1672) both begin with basic instructions on lute playing. All three manuscripts consist principally of dances. The one other genre Gaultier made an important contribution to is the

. An adequate assessment of Gaultier's music and influence is difficult, owing to attribution problems. According to recent research, ''La Rhétorique des dieux'' may consist of works not composed by Denis Gaultier, or original works by him changed by unknown scribes.Andreas Schlegel: Abstracts
/ref> The 1672 collection was completed after Gaultier's death by his pupil Montarcis, and contains music by two different Gaultiers. Other pieces, found in various manuscripts, also pose numerous attribution problems. Nevertheless, Gaultier was an important exponent of the French '' style brisé'', and as such an influence on harpsichordists such as

Johann Jakob Froberger Johann Jakob Froberger ( baptized 19 May 1616 – 7 May 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. Among the most famous composers of the era, he was influential in developing the musical form of the suite of dance ...

. Around 1680 a few of Gaultier's works were included in anthologies by Perrine, a French theorist who experimented with the writing of lute music in staff notation.

Media

Bibliography

*David Joseph Buch (ed.): ''Denis Gaultier: La Rhétorique des dieux'' (Middleton, Wisconsin: A-R Editions, 1990); *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaultier, Denis Year of birth uncertain 1672 deaths 17th-century French classical composers French Baroque composers Composers for lute French lutenists French male classical composers Musicians from Paris 17th-century French male musicians